#TheWRX: The EPIC Event at Callaway Golf. 8 Members are treated to TheWRX

[Brizam]

SZ with weight back vs LTD Pro will be very interesting to see the numbers on. They must be quite similar CG wise. Only thing is you can get LTD's for like $150 right now, steal

 

I haven't hit the LTD but I have heard nothing but good things about it. I was on the verge of purchasing one when I got tapped for this trip.

 

I would love to see a head-to-head from someone in the coming months who owns both.

 

any info on the new wedges, besides the fact that they are forged?

 

Similar shape with a straighter leading edge which really works best for me.

[Phreddy]

I can think of 8 guys who have already had a spectacular Christmas. I can't wait to hear what you are doing for New Years!

 

Thank you for the reports, pictures and follow ups to questions. Equally entertaining and informative.

 

Phred

[jol]

I reread the testers comments and summarized the new driver performance improvements:

Two of the testers gained approximately 5 yards.

Four of the testers gained 10-15 yards.

One tester stated that he gained 5 mph ball speed, which computes to approximately 10 more yards.

One tester didn't state the yardage gained, but increased ball speed by 14 mph which is easily an improvement of 20 yards plus.

 

100% of the testers had gains in distance.

75% had gains of 10 yards and more.

 

The reasons for the increases vary of course, please read their commentary for details.

For me, if there is a chance to pick up 10+ yards, I'm in!

 

I think the real question is whether those same gains could be made with a tour level fitting into ANY manufacturer's current driver offerings. New Callaway product definitely sounds good, but I remain more jealous of the ECPC fitting experience than the clubs themselves.

I guess we won't really know unless the other OEMs step up to the plate and offer the same experience to more WRXers!:)

[MidwestGolfBum]

Having finally caught up on this entire thread, I want to say thank you to the 8 for sharing everything, as well as answering questions as openly and honestly as you can. I could certainly see how this kind of trip could skew how you answer things but I have not seen any of that so far.

 

Guess I will just have to wait until the next one to see if I can get picked to go and live vicariously through you guys until then.

[hurricanes7]

this might be a dumb question but can they do the jailbreak technology on irons and hybrids also

[TexasCarlos]

this might be a dumb question but can they do the jailbreak technology on irons and hybrids also

Seems like the newest big bertha irons have that speed frame with 2 bars in the cavity, could be jailbreak inspired ?

[CircleC29]

I noticed in a few of the write ups that guys were fitted to 9* heads lofted up to 10*. Was there a purpose to adding a degree of loft instead of using a 10.5* head? Did any of you guys also try the 10.5*?

[MtlJeff]

I noticed in a few of the write ups that guys were fitted to 9* heads lofted up to 10*. Was there a purpose to adding a degree of loft instead of using a 10.5* head? Did any of you guys also try the 10.5*?

 

I was fit into 10 degrees from 9. In my case it was simply that there were no 10.5 heads.

[Brizam]

I got a range session in today with the new gear. The wedges are so crisp. I'm going to be getting a practice set for sure.

Into a very slight head wind the driver was carrying to my usual M2 landing spot and with the stronger ball flight it seemed to be rolling out more. So things are looking pretty good. Really liking the GD TP shaft too it's so stable.

The irons are going to take some more getting used to. The apex pros have a bit of a rounded leading edge whereas my srixons are much straighter. I didn't quite feel like I was striking them as well as I could.

I will be hitting the range again tomorrow so I should have some more feedback then. It was nice to hit balls at my usual range so I could get a better feel for the performance.

[hurricanes7]

how similiar are the wedges to the md3, which are awesome by the way

[CircleC29]

I got a range session in today with the new gear. The wedges are so crisp. I'm going to be getting a practice set for sure.

Into a very slight head wind the driver was carrying to my usual M2 landing spot and with the stronger ball flight it seemed to be rolling out more. So things are looking pretty good. Really liking the GD TP shaft too it's so stable.

 

Is there any tipping on the GD TP shaft?

[MtlJeff]

how similiar are the wedges to the md3, which are awesome by the way

 

it's not a massive difference. I find the MD forged have a bit straighter lines. The leading edge is fairly straight on the MD, and the toe is a tiny bit squarer i find.

 

The MD3 has a bit more looping edges and slightly rounded leading edge. At least that's how i see them

 

But it's fairly subtle, i mean it's not a completely different look or anything

[hayzooos]

SZ with weight back vs LTD Pro will be very interesting to see the numbers on. They must be quite similar CG wise. Only thing is you can get LTD's for like $150 right now, steal

 

I haven't hit the LTD but I have heard nothing but good things about it. I was on the verge of purchasing one when I got tapped for this trip.

 

I would love to see a head-to-head from someone in the coming months who owns both.

 

Sorry, what was that? Couldn't hear you...

 

Chances of me getting an Epic, let alone a Sub Zero are probably pretty slim to be honest. The only thing I'm looking to replace this year is the 3 wood (I love it, just want something else to look at) and wedges. Driver probably not in the cards for me. But, I'm sure I could at least go somewhere and test the thing out, to get some semblance of a comparison. You'll of course have to wait until the March/April time frame so I can hit it outside :(

[hurricanes7]

how similiar are the wedges to the md3, which are awesome by the way

 

it's not a massive difference. I find the MD forged have a bit straighter lines. The leading edge is fairly straight on the MD, and the toe is a tiny bit squarer i find.

 

The MD3 has a bit more looping edges and slightly rounded leading edge. At least that's how i see them

 

But it's fairly subtle, i mean it's not a completely different look or anything

 

any idea when the new wedges are coming out, i assuming similiar grind/bounce options to md3/ and how did the forging feel compare to the md3

[mackepa]

how similiar are the wedges to the md3, which are awesome by the way

 

it's not a massive difference. I find the MD forged have a bit straighter lines. The leading edge is fairly straight on the MD, and the toe is a tiny bit squarer i find.

 

The MD3 has a bit more looping edges and slightly rounded leading edge. At least that's how i see them

 

But it's fairly subtle, i mean it's not a completely different look or anything

 

any idea when the new wedges are coming out, i assuming similiar grind/bounce options to md3/ and how did the forging feel compare to the md3

 

The new MD Forged wedges don't replace the MD3's, rather they compliment the current line. Think of them like the MD2 Tour Grind release.

[mguhler]

MD2 tour grind you say... oi, maybe I should set up direct deposit to Cally

[mackepa]

the driver and wedges were what I was most excited about. The shape of the wedges are literally flawless if you like a nice square leading edge. I hit a beautiful full swing flop on 11 at Torrey that would have made Phil Mickelson's knees weak.

[hurricanes7]

colors of the new wedges, chrome and black?

[mackepa]

colors of the new wedges, chrome and black?

 

unfortunately thats something our nda covered. I can't specifically name the finishes but let's just say you aren't far off and a lot of wrx'ers are going to be interested in the darker finish

[gioguy21]

Hey guys, just curious if any of the Magnificant 8 hit any of Callaway 2016 drivers during your fittings? XR16, GBB or 816 DBD to see how much better the new 2017 driver is compared to those. Or did they just hand the new models to everyone to test against your gamer drivers?

 

I hit my 816 DBD which was a pretty good fit as is. My carry increased a bit almost ten yards on good strikes. The real mind blowing stat was mishits. The low spin model was head and shoulders better than the 816 on mishits. I had some real toe balls and heel balls that still had minimal speed reduction and didn't get too far off line.

 

Thanks for the feedback. The new drivers must be that good if you saw that kind of gain over your 816 DBD. That really makes me want to try the new models out.

 

I love my 816 DBD and I found it to be longer and more accurate than any other driver I've played in the past. I have my gravity core in the heel to straighten out my ball and I'm thinking that the new 2017 low spin model would be the favourite to take it's spot in the bag but I know you can't move the weight to make it fade/draw bias.

 

Mackepa what is your normal shot shape with the 816 DBD. Where do you play your gravity core? Does the 2017 low spin model have any draw/fade ability besides the dual cog adaptor?

 

I play a pretty straight shot that can either draw or fade. I tend to hang with a draw. My gravity core is low toe to help my high toe strikes. The adapter is the same as previous models.

you sir, are going to cost me $500. lol

 

can I ask, which driver head was more forgiving, higher launch and slightly more spin for you?

[hurricanes7]

awesome, i guess im getting a driver, 3 wood, 5 wood and 2 wedges. how much will that cost santa

[J13]

SZ with weight back vs LTD Pro will be very interesting to see the numbers on. They must be quite similar CG wise. Only thing is you can get LTD's for like $150 right now, steal

 

I haven't hit the LTD but I have heard nothing but good things about it. I was on the verge of purchasing one when I got tapped for this trip.

 

I would love to see a head-to-head from someone in the coming months who owns both.

 

Sorry, what was that? Couldn't hear you...

 

Chances of me getting an Epic, let alone a Sub Zero are probably pretty slim to be honest. The only thing I'm looking to replace this year is the 3 wood (I love it, just want something else to look at) and wedges. Driver probably not in the cards for me. But, I'm sure I could at least go somewhere and test the thing out, to get some semblance of a comparison. You'll of course have to wait until the March/April time frame so I can hit it outside :(

 

Is it realllly out of the cards ??? :D

[mackepa]

Hey guys, just curious if any of the Magnificant 8 hit any of Callaway 2016 drivers during your fittings? XR16, GBB or 816 DBD to see how much better the new 2017 driver is compared to those. Or did they just hand the new models to everyone to test against your gamer drivers?

 

I hit my 816 DBD which was a pretty good fit as is. My carry increased a bit almost ten yards on good strikes. The real mind blowing stat was mishits. The low spin model was head and shoulders better than the 816 on mishits. I had some real toe balls and heel balls that still had minimal speed reduction and didn't get too far off line.

 

Thanks for the feedback. The new drivers must be that good if you saw that kind of gain over your 816 DBD. That really makes me want to try the new models out.

 

I love my 816 DBD and I found it to be longer and more accurate than any other driver I've played in the past. I have my gravity core in the heel to straighten out my ball and I'm thinking that the new 2017 low spin model would be the favourite to take it's spot in the bag but I know you can't move the weight to make it fade/draw bias.

 

Mackepa what is your normal shot shape with the 816 DBD. Where do you play your gravity core? Does the 2017 low spin model have any draw/fade ability besides the dual cog adaptor?

 

I play a pretty straight shot that can either draw or fade. I tend to hang with a draw. My gravity core is low toe to help my high toe strikes. The adapter is the same as previous models.

you sir, are going to cost me $500. lol

 

can I ask, which driver head was more forgiving, higher launch and slightly more spin for you?

 

Most forgiving: shockingly, the LS model (has higher moi than standard)

 

Higher launch: standard model

 

Most spin: standard model

[hurricanes7]

when can we expect pics of the wedges and a release date

[mackepa]

when can we expect pics of the wedges and a release date

 

Wedge pics are already on the site. Wes Bryan already had them in play.

[mackepa]

A couple of my clubs needed some final tweaking. Tyler Shean just sent me a little teaser and said the putter is ready to go. One last adjustment on the irons and they'll be in transit to me.

 

I seriously cannot wait to show you guys the putter.

 

 

[hurricanes7]

when can we expect pics of the wedges and a release date

 

Wedge pics are already on the site. Wes Bryan already had them in play.

 

which website

[mackepa]

when can we expect pics of the wedges and a release date

 

Wedge pics are already on the site. Wes Bryan already had them in play.

 

which website

 

http://www.golfwrx.com/402976/spotted-callaway-mack-daddy-forged-wedges/

[buchaneb]

SZ with weight back vs LTD Pro will be very interesting to see the numbers on. They must be quite similar CG wise. Only thing is you can get LTD's for like $150 right now, steal

 

I haven't hit the LTD but I have heard nothing but good things about it. I was on the verge of purchasing one when I got tapped for this trip.

 

I would love to see a head-to-head from someone in the coming months who owns both.

 

Sorry, what was that? Couldn't hear you...

 

Chances of me getting an Epic, let alone a Sub Zero are probably pretty slim to be honest. The only thing I'm looking to replace this year is the 3 wood (I love it, just want something else to look at) and wedges. Driver probably not in the cards for me. But, I'm sure I could at least go somewhere and test the thing out, to get some semblance of a comparison. You'll of course have to wait until the March/April time frame so I can hit it outside :(

 

Never get rid of a 3 wood you love!

[gregh729]

I can't remember the exact release date of the wedges, but it is early/mid Jan. I went with the MD3 because I like the wide sole version. The new wedges did not have a wide sole version there.

 

As for the driver, I started with the standard head in a 9 and we moved it down to 8 and up to 10 to gather data and changed shafts in each position. My swing is steep and I was still putting more spin on it than the fitter liked. She moved me to the low spin head. Again started at 9 and moved me down to 8 and up to 10. We decided 8 was too low of a ball flight (still higher that what I had with my Ping) but the spin was great. Moving back to 9 raised the height and spin which was still lower than the standard head. We tried it at 10 just to see how it would be, and the spin only marginally increased while still in the 2800 RPM range. My Ping was over 3300 RPM. Higher, flatter ball flight. I can't wait to see the results in the summer when it dries out in the Mid-Atlantic. I am thinking the added flight will give me some benefit in the spring when the ground is soggy as well.